Private Equity

Timber Bay Partners Closes $281 Million GP-Led Secondaries Fund III

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 5, 2026

Timber Bay Partners, a Cincinnati-based private equity firm focused on GP-led secondary transactions, has announced the final close of Timber Bay Fund III at $281 million in total capital commitments.

26North Takes Control of Middleby’s Residential Kitchen Unit

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 5, 2026

26North Partners LP and The Middleby Corporation announced that affiliates of 26North have completed the acquisition of a controlling interest in Middleby’s Residential Kitchen business, with Middleby retaining a significant non-controlling ownership stake through a joint venture structure.

KKR-Singtel Consortium Buying Stake In STT GDC At S$13.8 Billion Value

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 5, 2026

KKR and Singtel Group, together with ST Telemedia, announced they have signed definitive agreements for a consortium led by funds managed by KKR and Singtel to acquire the remaining 82% stake in ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC) from founding shareholder ST Telemedia for S$6.6 billion, valuing the business at an implied enterprise value of about S$13.8 billion including leverage and capital expenditure for committed projects.

GoodLife Group Secures Strategic Minority Investment From Apollo Funds

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 5, 2026

The GoodLife Group, Canada’s largest fitness operator, has secured a strategic minority investment led by Apollo-managed funds and affiliates associated with Apollo’s hybrid strategies, as the company looks to accelerate its long-term growth plans.

Otro Capital: Sports-Focused PE Firm Closes $1.2 Billion Debut Buyout Fund

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 5, 2026

Otro Capital announced it has closed its inaugural sports fund with $1.2 billion of committed capital across Fund I and affiliated investment vehicles, exceeding the fund’s initial target. The New York-based firm described Fund I as the largest first-time dedicated sports buyout fund ever raised globally, positioning the raise as a marker of growing institutional appetite for scaled strategies focused on sports properties and the broader sports economy.

Shore Capital Closes $400+ Million Industrials Fund II

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 5, 2026

Shore Capital Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on the lower middle market, has closed its second dedicated industrials vehicle, Shore Capital Industrial Partners Fund II, with more than $400 million in capital commitments, reflecting what the firm described as strong demand from both existing and new limited partners for its sector-focused strategy.

Eterna Growth Partners Spins Out From Charlesbank As Independent Middle-Market Tech Private Equity Firm

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 5, 2026

Eterna Growth Partners, the newly independent private equity firm previously housed inside Charlesbank Capital Partners’ Technology Opportunities Fund strategy, has completed its spinout and will now operate as a standalone middle-market technology investment platform.

CAZ Launches Registered Interval Fund to Broaden Access To GP Stakes Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 5, 2026

CAZ Investments has officially launched the CAZ GP Stakes Fund, a registered interval fund structured to give a wider range of investors access to minority ownership stakes in private asset managers, a strategy commonly known as GP Stakes. The company said the vehicle is designed to combine private-markets exposure with features investors typically associate with registered products, including daily subscriptions, quarterly redemptions, 1099 tax reporting, and a management-fee-only structure with no performance fees.

HighVista Strategies Closes $800 Million Private Equity Fund XI

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 5, 2026

HighVista Strategies, an employee-owned specialty alternatives asset manager, said it has closed $800 million in capital commitments for HighVista Private Equity Fund XI, L.P., exceeding the fund’s $725 million target. The Boston-based firm said the final close followed a strong first close in December 2025 and was supported by a very high re-up rate from existing investors, alongside commitments from new limited partners.

Eurazeo And Pantheon Set Up Nearly €500 Million Private Debt Continuation Vehicle

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 5, 2026

Eurazeo has closed a €480 million bespoke private debt continuation vehicle backed by Pantheon, adding fresh capital to a portfolio of performing European senior credit assets and extending lending capacity for European middle market borrowers.

Polaris Completes Indian Motorcycle Separation And Majority Stake Sale To Carolwood

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 4, 2026

Polaris announced it has completed the separation of Indian Motorcycle into a standalone business and finalized the sale of a majority stake in the brand to Carolwood LP, an independent private equity firm founded in 2014 and headquartered in Los Angeles.

Buddy’s Home Furnishings Rent-To-Own Franchisor Acquired By Skyline Investors

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 4, 2026

Skyline Investors announced it has acquired Buddy’s Home Furnishings, positioning the transaction as a new ownership chapter for the rent-to-own retailer and franchisor and a source of flexible capital to support Buddy’s network of more than 220 locations. The buyer described Buddy’s as the third-largest rent-to-own franchisor in the U.S. and said the company operates across 18 states and in Guam.

Vista Equity Partners: Suzanne Donohoe Named As COO And Chief Commercial Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 4, 2026

Vista Equity Partners, a global technology investor focused on enterprise software, has appointed Suzanne Donohoe as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Commercial Officer in a newly created combined role. Donohoe will report to Founder, Chairman and CEO Robert F. Smith and will oversee the firm’s global fundraising, capital markets, investor engagement, and marketing strategies across Vista’s full investment platform, while also helping shape and execute the firm’s strategic agenda.

New Jersey Weighs Up To $300 Million For Ardian ASF IX Infrastructure Secondaries Strategy

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

New Jersey’s Division of Investment is proposing a real assets commitment totaling up to $300 million to Ardian’s ASF IX Infrastructure secondaries platform, split between up to $150 million for Ardian Secondaries Fund (ASF) IX Infrastructure B, L.P., and up to $150 million for a co-investment sidecar vehicle alongside the fund. The proposal was presented to the State Investment Council in a memorandum dated January 22, 2026, with staff indicating they expected to discuss the investment at the Council’s January 28, 2026, meeting.

Encore Closes Oversubscribed Fund V At $350 Million In Accelerated Raise

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Encore Consumer Capital has closed Encore Consumer Capital Fund V LP and related vehicles, raising $350 million in limited partner commitments and marking an oversubscribed raise completed in less than five months. The San Francisco-based firm said the new fund expands its capacity to pursue lower-middle-market opportunities in consumer staples, a sector where Encore has historically focused on building brands and scaling operating capabilities across manufacturing, distribution, and go-to-market execution.

Gradiente SGR Closes €180+ Million Gradiente III Fund, Growing 33% Versus Prior Vehicle

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Elm Capital announced Gradiente SGR has reached a final close for Gradiente III, the Italian private equity firm’s third fund, with total commitments exceeding its €180 million target. The firm said the vehicle is 33% larger than its predecessor and drew support from a mix of new and existing institutional investors and family offices across Europe and North America, including public pension funds, foundations, funds of funds, and banks.

Desjardins Global Asset Management Launches DGAM Global Private Equity Fund With Ardian Partnership

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Desjardins Global Asset Management is expanding its private markets lineup with the launch of the DGAM Global Private Equity Fund, a new vehicle designed to give accredited Canadian investors streamlined access to private equity through a flexible structure and diversified exposure.

Blackstone: Q4 Private Equity Inflows Hit $20.3 Billion, Led By $4.2 Billion In Infrastructure

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Blackstone closed the fourth quarter of 2025 with a sharp rebound in private equity fundraising, reporting $20.3 billion of private equity inflows for the period. The quarter stood out for both its scale and its mix, with capital concentrated in strategies that have attracted consistent LP demand amid slower distributions and selective commitment pacing across private markets.

Picton Investments Launches Private Equity Fund With Morningside Capital

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

PICTON Mahoney Asset Management, operating as PICTON Investments, has launched the PICTON Morningside Private Equity Fund, marking the firm’s first private equity offering and expanding its alternatives platform into private markets.

Hamilton Lane: Nearly $2 Billion Closed For Infrastructure Opportunities Fund II, Tripling Predecessor

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 3, 2026

Hamilton Lane announced it has reached a final close for Hamilton Lane Infrastructure Opportunities Fund II, with $1.5 billion in commitments to the fund and nearly $400 million more committed through related vehicles, bringing total commitments to nearly $2 billion. The firm said the raise exceeded the vehicle’s $1.25 billion target and, including related commitments, is more than three times the size of its predecessor, Hamilton Lane Infrastructure Opportunities Fund I.

WR Valuation Debuts With Faster ANd Lower-Cost Middle-Market Valuation Alternative

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 2, 2026

WR Valuation (WRV) has launched as an independent valuation and advisory firm, positioning itself as a speed-and-cost alternative to large accounting firms' valuation practices, as middle-market deal activity shows signs of re-accelerating.

CVC To Sell FineToday To Bain In About $1.29 Billion Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Feb 2, 2026

CVC Asia Fund V and other shareholders have reached an agreement for Bain Capital to acquire 100% of FineToday's outstanding shares, positioning the personal care and beauty company for its next phase of growth under new ownership.

RedBird Capital Partners Completes Refinancing Of AC Milan

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 31, 2026

RedBird Capital Partners has completed a refinancing designed to strengthen AC Milan’s capital structure and expand the club’s long-term financial flexibility, replacing acquisition-related vendor financing from entities advised by Elliott Advisors UK Limited with new institutional debt financing arranged by Comvest Credit Partners. The move eliminates loans tied to RedBird’s 2022 purchase of the club and aligns the financing package with RedBird’s long-term strategic and operational plans as the sole control owner.

Reddy Ice To Buy Arctic Glacier From Carlyle

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 31, 2026

Reddy Ice announced it has reached an agreement to acquire Arctic Glacier from The Carlyle Group, expanding Reddy Ice’s footprint across North America and adding a sizable Canadian operating base. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Permira To Buy Minority Stake In Carne Group At €1.4 Billion Valuation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Carne Group, Europe’s largest independent third-party management company and a provider of fund regulation and governance solutions, said funds advised by Permira have agreed to acquire a significant minority stake in the business at an enterprise valuation of €1.4 billion.

Procede Software Raises Majority Growth Investment From Rubicon Technology Partners

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Procede Software, a provider of enterprise dealer management systems for the commercial vehicle industry, said it has received a strategic majority investment from Rubicon Technology Partners, a middle market private equity firm focused on enterprise software.

IKON Capital, Bolt Ventures, Main Street Advisors Buy Into MotoGP’s Tech3 Team

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 30, 2026

Red Bull KTM Tech3, one of MotoGP’s longest-tenured teams, has been acquired by a new investor group led by IKON Capital and joined by David Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures and Main Street Advisors, bringing two prominent sports-and-entertainment investment platforms into MotoGP team ownership.

Lukoil Signs Agreement With Carlyle To Sell International Assets Holding Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

LUKOIL announced that it has signed an agreement with U.S. investment company Carlyle related to the sale of LUKOIL International GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary that holds the LUKOIL Group’s international assets. The company framed the step as part of efforts to address constraints imposed by certain countries on LUKOIL and its subsidiaries.

CVC Global Sport Group To Acquire Controlling Stake In Equine Network

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

CVC announced it has agreed to acquire a controlling stake in Equine Network, describing the business as the largest for-profit equestrian-based sports league in the U.S. The stake is being acquired from Growth Catalyst Partners, and the deal is expected to close in Q2 2026, subject to customary regulatory approvals.

EAM Closes $575 Million Fund II For Growth Software Investments

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 29, 2026

Equality Asset Management (EAM), a Boston-based private equity firm focused on transformative growth software and technology companies, announced it has closed its second fund, EAM Private Equity Partners II, L.P., with $575 million in total capital commitments. The firm said the fund was oversubscribed, with investor demand exceeding its hard cap.